It turns out the truck was stolen out of Orange County last year. Afterwards, someone replaced the VINs on the truck with a duplicate VIN of a truck that someone owns in Texas. They even had matching paperwork to go with it. But the VINs set off an alarm for the DMV when the Newbys went to get their new truck registered.

“The VIN that was in the vehicle belonged to truck in Texas, and it was on a lien,” Terha said. “These guys are professionals, they’re out there, and that’s all they do for a living.”

Chris said the seller gave them a Carfax report, but it was a fake one. He now regrets not getting their own.

“From now on, for a $40 fee, Carfax would have prevented it,” Chris said.

The stolen Silverado was impounded and went back to the insurance company of the truck’s original owner. Luckily, they sold it back to the Newbys for about $5,000, which they gladly agreed to.

“They told us this is not something we do, but they felt bad for our situation,” Tehra said. “Still tough we had to re-buy anything.”

“I’m just glad I have a car,” Chris said.

The CHP gave these car-buying tips when buying from a third person private party.